July 9, 2003

COLLEGE STATION -- Eastman Chemical CompanyTexas Operations and the Eastman Foundation of Longview have pledged a $20,000 initial gift in a campaign to raise funds for a permanent facility dedicated to honey bee research and education at Texas A&M University.

The gift marks the first in a drive that began in January 2003 to advance the Texas A&M department of entomology's existing honey bee biology program, in partnership with the Texas Beekeepers Association. The proposed Honey Bee Laboratory, estimated to cost $550,000 to build and equip, will be housed at Texas A&M's Riverside Campus and will support a range of research projects while also serving as a teaching laboratory for students as well as professional and amateur beekeepers. In addition, the facility will feature a full range of colony-handling and honey-processing activities.

According to Mike Childress, Eastman's manager of communications and public affairs, the company has a rich history of involvement in projects that benefit Texas nature and wildlife, thanks to the help of various organizations such as the East Texas Beekeepers Association (ETBA). He credits Eastman's longstanding affiliation with ETBA as the inspiration behind his company's decision to help underwrite Texas A&M's laboratory.

"We are excited to be part of this project and believe it will be a valuable addition for supporting the research of and education about honey bees," Childress added.

In years past, Eastman and the ETBA have teamed to help rebuild the East Texas honey bee population and teach Texans about honey bees and their effect on the environment by placing demonstration hives at various locations. Currently, they maintain hives at four sites—Stephen F. Austin State University, Athens' Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Tyler's Discovery Science Place and Eastman's own on-site Nature and Wildlife Habitat Center. These sites attract an estimated 100,000 visitors each year.

In other successful collaborations, Eastman has worked with the Texas Forest Service and East Texas educators to develop science and environmental curricula and outreach programs to benefit K-12 students and teachers as well as park and nature center staffs.

Honey bees and their environmental contributions are critical, not only to an industry's bottom line but to a nation's food supply, according to Dr. Tanya Pankiw, an assistant professor of entomology at Texas A&M. Honey bees provide an economic pollination value of approximately $15 billion annually and, as a general rule of thumb, affect one out of every three bites of food produced across the country.

In Texas alone, Pankiw said, honey bee pollination efforts increase crop value by more than $500 million each year. In addition, the state ranks as high as sixth nationwide in honey production and supports several beekeepers who raise and sell honey bees and their queens nationally.

"Honey bees are important to Texas and the nation," Pankiw said. "The demand for honey bee pollination has increased due to increased consumption of bee-pollinated crops and reduced numbers of colonies due to parasites and diseases."

Eastman's gift to the Honey Bee Laboratory is included in "One Spirit One Vision," a multi-year fund-raising campaign to help Texas A&M attain national top 10 status among public universities while sustaining the distinctive Texas A&M spirit. The volunteer-led campaign, coordinated by the Texas A&M Foundation, encompasses all private gifts benefiting the university.